John Trumbull, of Parsippany, Rick Holloway of Summit, and Tom Hodge, of Denville, in "The Pillowman" at Dover Little Theatre, March 15-29.

When Tom Blewitt first saw the production of "The Pillowman" by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, he was impressed. But when the time came to pick a production of this year's season at the Dover Little Theatre, Blewitt thought he would add something to it.

"I thought it would work well in the Dover Little Theatre space," he said. "It's a bit creepy - a bizarre place with a history ... it use to be a morgue ... so it sort of lends itself to the show which is a dark, black comedy, horror and mystery sort of a play."

In fact, according to Dover Historical Society records, the original Little Theater company purchased "the Gillen and Young Chapel, showroom and morgue on Elliott Street for $1,000" in 1934, becoming what we know now as the Dover Little Theatre.

So "The Pillowman" is indeed the perfect play for the theatre as it tells the tale of Katurian, a fiction writer whose gruesome literary works land him in trouble with the totalitarian state authorities, as his stories begin to echo real-life child murders in town.

Complicating the situation is his brother, Michal, who further implicates the writer in the twisted scenes.

"I like the play because it questions the value of art and, especially in these times, it questions whether you're creating monsters, whether video games and films are responsible for behavior," Blewitt said. "But it's also futuristic as it deals with a totalitarian government. I draw from all those different areas."

As director of the play, Blewitt explained that his style is a bit different - more fast-paced, more energy, he said.

"I'm more unforgiving, and I don't let up on the audience with material," he said about his style of direction. "I want people to be entertained, and to present a clear interpretation and I try to avoid being overindulgent [as a director]. Not that that's a bad thing, but the way I feel about it is, the audience is paying to see [the play]. I want to respect their time."

Blewitt said his style, however, honors the original text, at least for the most part.

"I try to follow it as close as possible, but with 'The Pillowman' we've Americanized it. We've had to change some words, but the dialogue sort of lends itself to it," Blewitt said. "I try not to deviate too much to where it affects the plot. You have to feel the words, as they are written the way they are for a reason and changing that can hurt the show."

Given the somewhat dense text of the play, and described as "echoes the works of Stoppard, Kafka, and The Brothers Grimm," Blewitt said it is hard to try and encapsulate what the audience will fully experience with "The Pillowman."

"Really, everyone will see something different in it. It's whatever they take away from it," he said. "Even just talking now, with you, I'm thinking about different things."

"Yes, it's about the police state, you can't escape it, but for me it's the aspects of abuse and the type of person it creates. It's about protecting the children," he said.

On the other hand, the rather simple set up of "The Pillowman" has allowed Blewitt to explore a more intimate form of performance, as the cast consists of four main characters, he said.

"This is less physical, more verbal," he explained, comparing it to his past productions of "Noises Off!" and the Neil Simon musical "Rumors" at The Barn Theatre in Montville, and "Frankenstein" in Dover. "It's a wordy play, which I was worried about at first. But that is where the actors came in; they have to be able to tap into the character."

Helping bring "The Pillowman" to life are: John Trumbull, of Parsippany, Tom Hodge, of Denville, Christian Chase, of Little Falls, and Rich Holloway, of Summit - all of whom have worked with Dover Little Theatre before. There are also a small parts being played by Jen Dorr, of Wharton, and 14-year-old Mackenzie Miller, of Rockaway.

"As a young person, she has a lot of heavy material to deal with, emotionally," Blewitt said of Mackenzie. "She is certainly one to watch, but again I don't want to give too much away."

Whether he worries about bringing a play like "The Pillowman" - a well-known, highly regarded play - to Dover, Blewitt said that over the years he has learned not to, and simply tries to enjoy the process.

"Over the years, you learn to let go. Before I used to only see what went wrong, but not now," he said.

As someone who started off as an actor, Blewitt never really imagined he would end up where he is. But now having worked with Dover Little Theatre since 2000, he considers it "kind of his home. As I said, it's a unique venue. I like the intimacy of it, and the people who work there."

And although directing a play is "time consuming" he said, "I like directing, or the managing aspects of the production. It's more rewarding."